Hi Everyone, this is Carrie here....sending out some funny pics from today with my dad. The first one is dad sticking his tongue out at me while I was laughing at him getting a much needed shave from my mom. The second one is a nice big smile I got when I told him I was taking his picture for everyone. It was really great to see my dad after being away for 2 weeks. My mom had been telling me how sleepy he had been and what I saw was very different! Yesterday I heard him talk after being silent for 6 weeks!!! I laughed my ass off when the first thing out of his mouth was "get me out of here!" It re-assured me though because that is my dad to a tee! They have given him a smaller trach that we can cap so sound can come out when he speaks.
We have been having many conversations now that he can talk and he is trying to put things together and figure out things which is a little hard for him now, his brain is making new connections so his memory and such is not so good. We did get a great welcoming today that let us know he knows who we are, my mom and I walked in at noon to find dad working with the speech pathologist and she asked him who we were and he said "my best friends" and then she asked him but who are they, he told her my wife and daughter and then she asked him what are our names were and he replied, "lovely linda and carrie". That was the best christmas present I could have ever asked for! Some of you who have been following the blog know that for a while dad said he didn't know who we were. I think he didn't know how to put it together but that he did "know" who we were but he couldn't say our names so this was a big deal! It made me very happy and today was a fun day. Lots of activities with the shaving and then we gave him a shampooing and conditioning since he hadn't had one since he went into the hospital 6 weeks ago, he looked like a new man! The towel on his head was a cool cloth since he was saying he was hot, I think he kinda looked like a mummy.

He is still having trouble swallowing so we also practiced some of that today and tonight in hopes of him passing the swallow test which will then enable the doctors to take the trach out and get him into rehab!!!

My dad asked me yesterday where were all of the sympathy cards since I had been telling him about how everyone was calling and emailing, etc so today I brought in the stack of cards and read every single one of them to him. I want everyone to know how happy this made my dad, he loved knowing everyone was thinking of him and I asked him do you know who they are and he replied yes, I think it is all coming back to him just slowly and in bits. Your cards were all awesome and I enjoyed reading them since it was the first time I had seen them as well. Thank you all very much.

So today was a great day and I am hoping for tomorrow to be just as good, if not better. Thank you for the cards and the support and special thanks to the people who have been checking in on my mom. I will be here until the 2nd and tracy arrives the 23 and stays till the 28th. Our cousins Alyson and Laura will also be coming for a few days to check in on us which will be nice.

till tomorrow...

HI EVERYONE!

Well first of all our daughter, Carrie, arrived late yesterday, and needless to say, I am so glad to have her here. She is staying until after the first of the year, so it is a nice long visit.

Yesterday with Hal was quite uneventful, because he was too sleepy to even wake up when I pestered him. I have decided I must be pretty boring, because when I came today with Carrie he perked up, stayed awake all afternoon and was so delighted to see her.

One of the reasons for the last two days of sleepiness is that when they did a blood test early this morning, they found that he is once again anaemic, and started transfusions this afternoon.

They also decreased the size of his trachea, and because it is a different size and shape, we are able to cover the trachea and he is actually able to say words. SO, we heard his voice this afternoon for the first time in over 6 weeks. Guess what he said? GET ME OUT OF HERE...
I WANT TO GO HOME. Thank God. That is the Hal we know.

The not so great thing of the day, is that he failed his swallow test for the second time. He has to show them that he is able to swallow before they take out the traehea and start him on food, and of course that is when he will REALLY be able to talk.

I am still extremely hopeful, and all involved are trying to get him ready and able to get to rehab, where no doubt he will make rapid progress.

SEE< all of your thoughts, prayers, cards and concerns, are really helping to get this man well again. Our daughters Carrie and Tracy, and I, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With love, Linda

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry I did not post yesterday, but have news today.
I spent all afternoon doing a "Hal beautification session". It was pedicure and manicure time.
And for the first time ever I gave my husband a shave. In ICU they were able to shave him with a razor, but in the "Step Down" they are not allowed. So I did it, and it came out so so. I think I will take his electric razor in tomorrow.

The trauma doctor changed his trachea to a smaller one that will enable him to try to swallow easier. They will be doing another swallow test on Mon. or Tues. since he failed the first one a few days ago. This would be a huge step because it is the first and most important step toward
getting rid of the trachea altogether and on to eating real food and to talking.

He is now totally off the ventilator and breathing through the wind sprints. Without the trachea he will also do without the wind sprints, and breathe completely on his own. SO< as you can see
this "swallow test" can lead to pretty important things.

Things are progressing, slowly, but as long as, surely, I am happy. I do feel really hopeful, and knowing that Hal is a fighter, makes it more attainable.

Thank you all for your prayers, and cards, and good thoughts. It means so much.

With love, Linda

Hello ALL:

I hope am not getting ahead of myself, but I actually have some good news today.

The REHAB center has taken Hal on as a personal challenge. SO< they are trying to expedite
getting him into rehab. WHICH WOULD BE WONDERFUL!!!!!!!

He has to be able to perform certain tasks, and today, he was able to sit in a chair for 10 mins. I can't say he looked entirely comfortable, but so what...that was the first of the tasks he is required to perform, and HE DID IT!

He is tolerating the "wind sprints" instead of the ventilator, and is taking the 10 min ventilator treatments with the medicine for the fluid in his lungs, and the medicine seems to be working.

He held his nurse's hand today for at least five minutes, because he knew that she was getting ready to suction his trachea (and he hates it), so this showed both of us that he was aware of what was going to happen, and what he needed to do to try to prevent it. Remember when I told all of you that his progress was going to be "baby steps". Well this might be a "baby step", but it shows me that his brain/personality is able to think, and to me it is HUGE.

Thank you all of you for your cards, and your individual display of love and concern.

With love, Linda

Dearest Family and Friends,

Day Two of "Step Down"....not the level care of ICU, but we have to go through this to get to Rehab.

Wonderful cardiologist, has ordered new/different doses of blood pressure medicine, and hopefully that will kick in soon and make a difference in his pressure and heart rate. Also, ordered additional meds to be added to the respiratory treatments to help with the heavy edema in his lungs.

They did a "swallow test" today, but he did not do well. This is all for the correct direction to be able to take out the trachea. He is doing well off the ventilator for the six hours period at a time, but this all has to be coordinated with the swallow test, off the ventilator permanently and then they will be able to take out the trachea. At that point he can begin talking....which means I can begin asking questions, and then he can be driven crazy by my interrogation, and will probably appreciate the silence he has had up to then.

Anyway, lots of unknown matter flying around the atmosphere, but it means we are going SOMEWHERE!! All we can do is hope.

The best evidence is I can see that he is BORED and losing patience. This is the Hal we all know.

Thank you for all of the love you have shown us....the cards are wonderful, and are taken to the hospital to be read out loud to Hal.... they always deserve a smile.

With great appreciation and love, Linda

EVERYONE HOPE!!!!!!!!!!


Today Hal was moved to the "Step Down" facility after 5 1/2 weeks in Intensive Care.

YES< This is a good thing, but VERY SCARY.

I am happy, but the level of care is different, and today he pulled out his feeding tube while I was there. NOT good, but his sense of humor (?) when I finally got the nurse in by yelling down the hall for help, kicked in. Her very calm response was, "Mr. Pollack, you are not supposed to do that". HIS RESPONSE: he pointed to me...like, I didn't do it, SHE did it! So that is definitely the Hal I know. That's a good sign.

When I say "scary", please everyone put on their extra "good thoughts" and prayers, because I think we really need it. All of a sudden everything is new and all the faces are new. Instead of seeing familiar nurses directly in front of you, and able to be told and educated to everything going on, it's all very different.

Thank you, thank you , to everyone. Please don't forget us. I love you all ...family, friends, and neighbors.
I don't know what I would do without you.

LOVE, Linda

Dear all,

I cannot compete with the wonderful "blogs" that my daughters write, but I still feel responsible for keeping everyone up to date.

They did not move Hal today to "step down", but he is in line for the first available room, probably tomorrow or the next day. It is as Tracy said in the previous "blog" we have all become very comfortable with the ICU and the staff, but I do feel that moving him will be a very positive step, and will put us on the road to getting him to Rehab.

Today, he did very well off the ventilator. And, when the physical therapist came in we were able to get him in a sitting position with his legs dangling. He was not able to sit up without support, but was able to hold his head up himself. This is the first time I have seen him in a sitting position in more than 5 weeks.

He nods and shakes his head, smiles, and certainly lets us know when he is NOT happy by putting on a particularly sad frown. But considering the situation, I think his spirits are pretty good.

Thank you to everyone for your continued good thoughts and prayers.

With love, Linda